Graduation Gifts for Therapy Clients

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How do you feel about graduation gifts for a planned end or discharge to therapy? Stated in various clinical circles as ethical, unethical, or existing in the gray in between, I personally have seen the meaning and symbolism a gift can provide when celebrating the strengths and progress of a client completing their therapeutic work. Therefore I’m pro-gift as long as it’s intentional and appropriate.

When having this conversation with my students, we couldn’t find a ton on the internet about getting a client a graduation (from therapy) gift. So hopefully this blog can support a brainstorm on appropriate, meaningful gifts from clinician to client.

Let’s start with some parameters to keep things feeling good to the therapist:

-Not expensive. A gift doesn’t have to be expensive, and most folks would think an expensive gift is bordering on inappropriate. So what would be your budget for graduation gifts? Is this now a line item in your budget as a private practice therapist?

-Not obligatory. No one wants a gift that isn’t thoughtful or meaningful in some way. If you give the same gift to all clients, what’s the meaning behind it? If you picked something special for your client, be prepared to tell them why you selected it for them as part of your work together.

Hand-Made Gift Ideas:

1. A card

2. A letter

3. A piece of art (if that’s aligned). I recall mosaics as something I’ve given clients, but also have heard of colleagues giving sketches, watercolors, crocheted items, or small pottery items they’ve made

4. A plant shoot or seedling

5. A laminated quote

6. A laminated/nicely designed list of coping skills from the work together

Co-Created Gifts: Can be done together in session

1. A self-portrait

2. Painted pottery

3. Painted rock

4. Custom keychain

5. A decorated box or other token

Bought Gifts:

1. A seed packet to symbolize their growth and ongoing progress

2. A book

3. A journal

4. A keychain

5. Something compatible with five senses and coping (think heated scarf, essential oils, gum, lotion)

6. Fidgets

The key to a good graduation gift is it being something symbolic of your work together. Here are some things I’ve given to clients over the years, working with both teens and adults:

-A furry keychain

-A natural sunlight light bulb

-A journal

-A keychain with a meaningful quote

-Worry stones or rocks for heart, clarity, strength, healing

-An “imposter monster” 

-A wooden box

-Mosaic coasters

-So, so many books relevant to the work they want to continue after therapy

What have you given your clients if you engage in gift-giving as therapy comes to a close? Obviously there are some challenges like when you don’t know a client is ending therapy or when you are exclusively a Telehealth therapist. It’s hard to hand something to someone you’ve never met in person.

Some Gift Ideas for Telehealth Clients:

1. A meaningful quote or poem

2. A recording of their favorite meditations or coping skills recorded in your voice

3. A playlist of songs related to their work

4. A digital workbook or resource

5. A styled list of their coping skills (think Canva for pretty digital design in lieu of a laminated copy in person)

The possibilities are endless! Consider this an invitation to think about what you would give to a client to celebrate their hard work and see how this fits into your therapy practice. I’d love to hear your ideas of what lands well for clients to celebrate this milestone with you!